Chương 27: Misaligned Intentions

After taking some time to rest up and enjoy a large meal, the group continued onwards to their next destination, the crocodile. Due to Bremin's habitual silence, Evel and Diana mostly didn't know what awaited them. Despite this, the planning had already begun. Evel and Diana discussed various possibilities, and poked holes in each other's plans along the way, following closely behind Bremin who wordlessly led the group along the river. They had decided being out in the open was safer in case of ambushes.

With Bremin's speed and Diana's expertise, they also wouldn't lose a long ranged battle. Soon the serious planning devolved to jokes.

"Maybe it's actually really small and wants to be friends with us?" Evel joked.

"In that case wouldn't we want it to be big and strong? A crocodile would be a pretty sick pet."

"If it had to choose between us, I think I'd win out as the better owner." Diana snorted.

"Why would it pick the weakest master? I'd take the best care of it out of the three of us here, easily."

"If all it cares about is strength, wouldn't it pick Bremin?" The two of them turned from each other to Bremin, who was running ahead of them. The clothes were ripped, revealing a firm, muscular back. Diana chuckled.

"Maybe this crocodile doesn't even exist and Bremin is leading us into his nefarious trap." Evel gasped.

"How could he? After all we've been through?" Bremin stopped. Evel and Diana slowed down, catching up to Bremin.

"Hear something?" Diana whispered, sweeping the area.

"Here." Bremin crouched down, looking at a particular spot on the sand closely. Evel traced his line of sight and quickly understood. On the ground was a thin layer of the dissolved membrane that should have been here covering the beast. They had reached the location of the crocodile.

"Someone got here first," Evel muttered.

"It's still seeping into the ground, it couldn't have been that long ago." Diana pointed at a different spot, where the membrane was still melting. Evel nodded.

"We'll look around, quietly." The three continued forward, their pace slow and cautious. Among all the sounds of nature, their careful footsteps were muffled. A distant battle cry rang in the distance as the group perked up. They were close. Diana spoke in a hushed tone, to confirm their plans.

"We take out the group, then kill the beast, right?" Evel's muscles tensed.

"We can't just kill them, they haven't done anything to us." He matched her whisper with an urgent tone. Diana looked at Evel with furrowed brows.

"They'd attack us if they were in our position."

"We don't know that! Not everyone's as trigger happy as you." Diana narrowed her eyes.

"Don't be stupid Evel." Evel didn't back down.

"I know you've probably experienced living amongst killers your whole life, but a lot of these people are farmers and merchants. People who had never taken another person's life. We can't just assume they'd kill us!"

"Oh come on. Be serious. Once they joined the military they threw all that away. We're not competing in a sport, we're fighting for our lives here." This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"I'm not saying we let them kill us! If they fail, we kill the crocodile ourselves, and if they succeed we leave silently!" Evel reasoned.

"A certain number of people have to die anyway! Don't you have friends around? Wouldn't you rather it be these strangers than them? In the end, we'll also be able to get extra rewards!" Diana paused for a brief second before continuing.

"With your shitty affinity you should care about this even more than me – I'll manage without riches, but you rely on it!" Evel took a deep breath.

"I won't let you kill them." The air chilled. The smell of damp earth and old blood seemed to thicken as Diana's gaze tore through Evel.

"Oh?" Diana asked, with a deepened voice no longer a whisper. Her gaze had sharpened and she left a gap show through her hood, revealing her weapons.

"You won't let me?" She tossed her bow aside and slowly unsheathed her knife.

"How exactly do you plan on managing that?" Evel clenched his jaws. She's too unreasonable. He had hoped to win her over, but she had escalated the conflict in an instant.

"We'll remain hidden and observe. If they lose, it'll be weakened and an easy kill, if they win we will find another beast."

"And you'll force me to follow along with your plans?" Diana asked, a cold grin creeping up on her face. Evel clenched his crossbow tightly. In terms of efficiency, she's right. We're all competing in this battle for survival, and I've even already killed someone, albeit in self defense. But at what point do I draw the line? Evel's aura flared, as he stared down Diana, unflinching.

"I've stopped you before." He was walking on a tightrope.

"You don't have a bird this time." If Diana truly went all out to kill him right now, she had the full capability of doing so. But Evel wasn't helpless. The previous battles had empowered his ability significantly and his general combat capability improved at a rapid pace surrounded by two monsters. They didn't need to specifically teach him to pick up on their techniques and best practices. Evel controlled his breathing and matched her gaze activating his ability.

The imperceptible, translucent hand floated gently behind him and slowly began unwinding the spool of wire.

"You'd throw your life away for strangers?" Diana asked, raising her knife higher.

"I'm not throwing anything away." Evel held his ground. The pressure he felt increased at a rapid pace but now he was even more certain: Diana wouldn't kill him. Even disregarding their time spent together, killing him was simply not the correct move for her. Evel was certain of his defeat, but was Diana certain of her victory? No. Evel had been very cautious not to reveal his ability yet. He still had cards he could play – bluffs that only work because of his vigilance.

Would she be willing to take a risk for a result that would likely be unsatisfactory for her even if she won? After all, he was far more useful alive than dead. Regardless of his combat strength, they wouldn't have beaten the Skydart nor the tortoise without him. Not to mention he was the reason she got to have an alliance with Bremin. Without him, she created a terrifying enemy. Wait! Bremin! Evel's head snapped side to side, but the swordsman was nowhere to be seen, his deathly aura gone with him.

The wind stopped, and the trees went still. The dread created by Bremin's aura had disappeared but a much deeper dread began to take root. Dammit! The standoff was forgotten. Evel turned and bolted toward the previous sounds of the struggle. Diana was all but a passing thought. Please. The forestry rushed by his vision as he sprinted through the trees. The ground below him was uneven, but he pushed through. He got closer and closer, and a loud, low-frequency grunt rang out.

It wasn't the sound a human could produce. Evel broke through the last bushes, and his feet skid half a step before finding friction. His chest heaved, as he took in the sight ahead of him. To his left, was the crocodile. It was large, at least a meter and a half tall and eight times longer, but having faced the tortoise, the size wasn't what tugged at his focus. Instead, what drew his eyes was the terrain of cuts and holes that littered its body.

A steady stream of blood poured out of its back, and a knife was stuck in its eye socket. A mangled corpse rested below its feet. The crocodile growled constantly in a low frequency but remained still otherwise. To his right, was Bremin. He was holding his sword high with both arms, pointing it down. Below his feet was a young woman with shredded clothes and deep scars across her shoulders revealing peachy skin. One of her hands still gripped a blade at her sides, while the back of the other pressed on her eyes.

In her hands, was a silver crescent necklace that she clutched so hard her knuckles whitened. Evel couldn't see her eyes through her forearm, but a stream of tears dampened the earth below. Evel opened his mouth to yell, but before a single sound could exit his throat, the sword crashed down on her. Her blood splattered in every direction, tainting Bremin's pants as he stood atop her, but he showed no reaction. His gaze shifted to the crocodile.

"What's next?" Bremin's voice hadn't changed even a bit. Evel felt dizzy. He forced himself to swallow his spit and was able to get out an instruction weakly.

"Pr-protect me, no need to risk injuries for up close." Bremin gave a curt nod and dashed over to Evel's side. With shaky hands, Evel reloaded his crossbow. He didn't have Diana's empowered shots but with the state of the target, a regular bolt would be fine. The shot landed on the crocodile's head, as it grunted once more. It slowly began sliding towards Evel. Rather, the ground below the crocodile shifted towards Evel. But it was futile. It was far too slow.

Likely having used up all its Energy in the previous fight, it was simple for Evel to take a few steps back while reloading. Then, he took another shot. Then the next. Then one more. The crocodile slammed hard into the ground, all of its appendages giving way at the same time. Evel's eyes drifted from the fallen creature to the girl's hand, limp in the dirt. The silver necklace glistened in the overhead sunlight. He had seen the necklace before, he was sure of it, but the memory wouldn't come.

Ultimately, Evel didn't care right now. They had killed the crocodile. It had been a great success, a third beast already taken out. But the satisfaction that had previously followed in all his victories never came. Evel's gaze remained fixed on her, hollow and unfocused, long after he had any reason to keep looking.